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Summary: The Folk Keeper Will Keep Teens Reading
Review: As her second fantasy novel for young adults, Franny Billingsley's The Folk Keeper is more magically enchanting and endearing than any novel I've read recently, for adolescents or for adults. Though the novel weaves together the mystical strands of a fantastic world beyond our own, the story touches themes and characters that come to life as "more than real." This coming-of-age novel focuses on a young female protagonist who grapples with her identity, her heritage, and her future. Her journey towards finding her true self parallels the archetypal journey we all take along the road of adolescence on our way to becoming adults. Fifteen-year-old Corinna Stonewall disguises herself as a boy, Corin, so that she may become a Folk Keeper, a highly valuable asset to the estates and towns where the Folk ravage the animals and crops people depend on for food. The Folk are indescribable supernatural creatures associated with Ireland and Scotland who inhabit the dark caverns of the countryside and draw their strength from the surrounding stone. They become especially fierce during holidays and the days of the saints. It is "Corin"/Corinna's job to draw their anger upon herself so that the Folk do not disturb the crops and animals of her home. No one knows her secret, nor do they know that she has special powers that cause her hair to grow two inches at night and her body to beat constantly to the time of the tides. Yet there comes a day when a mystifying dying gentleman finds out the truth and calls upon Corinna, evoking the mysterious name of the Lady Rona, promising to allow her to remain at Marblehaugh Manor as not only the Folk Keeper, but as a member of the family, something that, as an orphan, she has never been before. As children, we believe in magic, in the "otherfolk" of this novel that that bring with them powers beyond the realm of humanity-sometimes a frightening power that shines a harsh light on our fears and insecurities as adolescents. As we begin to "grow up" we find that we have power over these "folk" and can choose to nurse them or refuse them. The appeal of this novel lies in Billingsley's ability to tap into that which makes female adolescence unique-simultaneously painful and magical. Corinna's struggle to prove herself and discover the root of her unique individuality presents to a female audience a new twist on an old story. Billingsley beautifully captures the difficulties and joys of the transformation from childhood to maturity.
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Summary: The Last Classic Children's Fantasy of the 1900s
Review: Author Franny Billingsley draws on ancient lore to craft a story of mystery and romance. More power to the Harry Potter hype that's brought children's fantasy into the spotlight again. But this is the story for *thinking* young readers with an hear for the music of language and respect for the steel in a young woman's heart.
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Summary: A must read!
Review: Both my boyfriend and I loved this book. I wish more adults would read some of the amazing children's literature out there. Perhaps after Harry Potter they will. This book had all the elements of a good story: a great page-turner, intriguing characters, and surprising turns in the story. I felt like I was 9 again, under the covers with my flashlight squealing with delight when unexpected and wonderful or unexpected and terrible things happen. Great for readers of almost any age.
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Summary: The Folk Keeper
Review: By Tamara Evan. The Folk Keeper has got to be one of the most magical books I have ever read. I could never put it down! I love how the book relates to the Kelpies of Celtic Mythology and the old English Myth about seal women. The characters are vivid and likeable (or dislikeable, depended on who you are talking about) and I could always picture them, whatever they were doing. This is a great book and I recommend any body to read it.
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Summary: "The Folk Keeper" Reaches Deep
Review: Carl Jung would have loved "The Folk Keeper." Corinna is a young, "different" girl coming of age, surviving in a hostile world by taking on a male disguise and a masculine role. Her duties connect her with a mysterious underworld in which she feeds and is fed on by unseen mouths. Eventually love and loyalty pull her apart in several dimensions. What spills out is utterly unexpected, yet strangely familiar. Corinna is not what she thought she was. Are any of us? This is no children's book -- or else we are all children. -Mark, age 51 1/2
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Summary: COol book
Review: i had 2 read this book for summer reading this summer.it was great!corinna,at first,sounded really messed up.but at the end,when she found out who she belonged with and where she belonged,she was a much better character(i would have choosen finian over the sea any day!)i loved the mystery and the characters!when i heard about lady rona i was sooo surprised!i kind of had a feeling corinna was related to her though.sir edward was a really good bad guy,2.anyway(before i give the whole book away)........READ THIS BOOK!i recomend this book for girls grades 4 and up...i'm going into the 7th myself.
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Summary: Pretty good!
Review: I just finished reading The Folk Keeper. At first, I wasn't sure that I liked the main character, Corinna, at all. But I kept at it, and eventually realized some of the reasons why she is the way she is. Franny Billingsley's prose is lovely too... she's found ways of describing things that are so poetic, yet make so much sense. I would definitely recommend this book.
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Summary: This book was cool!
Review: I really liked THE FOLK KEEPER. It is about a girl who has to tend to the mysterious folk. She begins to find startling things about herself, like she has some powers that she didn't know about. I liked this book because it was really excitng and it was an interesting style of fantasy writng. This book is great for everybody older than about 6! Personally, I loved it.
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Summary: The Folk Keeper
Review: I think this was a VERY good book. The plot was very well thought out, the characters were interesting and the whole story was intriguing.
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Summary: Instant Children's Classic!
Review: I used to be a children's librarian---that was a long time ago, but I still love children's books. (The Harry Potter books have just confirmed what we've known all along, that good books appreciated by children will also be appreciated by grownups.)The Folk Keeper is a fantasy set in England. Time period? Perhaps Georgian, perhaps Stuart, perhaps earlier. It's a time where people still have to propitiate the vestiges of an earlier, pagan world, a hungry, non-human, gnomish, fairy world by leaving offerings of food and drink. If these beings are not satisfied, cows will die or cease to give milk; crops will rot in the fields; all matter of unexplainable phenomena will take place and cause havoc. The folk keeper's job is to keep these harmful, always-hungry, excitable creatures at bay. Our heroine, a foundling named Corinna, now disguised as a boy, Corin, keeps the folk at bay at an orphanage. For this, she is respected, if not honored. When the opportunity comes to leave this awful excuse for a home, she hesitates, then goes. It turns out to be her ancestral place, where she will come to grips with her true nature, her forebears, her own other-worldliness, and find a great love. The language is sparse, but poetic, and tough but fey Corinna grows on the reader. Such an unloved little soul, who gradually becomes more beloved than she'd ever imagined. Her ordeals are harsh, but she doesn't despair. This young woman simply does not give up---making this a wonderfully inspirational story for children. I have only one quibble, and I chose to suspend my disbelief because the author writes so exquisitely: I don't think that the stepson in a second marriage could ever have inherited entailed property, much less a title, in England. But it doesn't matter---it's a quibble that will bother only die-hard researchers in English history.
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